


Dinner at the Palace

by rileywrites



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Gen, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 23:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13868403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileywrites/pseuds/rileywrites
Summary: A week after he's been given the all-clear, Bucky is invited to family dinner at the palace.T'Challa has a request.





	Dinner at the Palace

Bucky is learning Xhosa.

It's easy, between the remnants of the serum and the constant chattering from the children in the little village he's come to call home. Sometimes his mouth refuses to form the proper consonants, but he's getting better every day.

_White Wolf, come play with us!"_

Bucky clicks his new arm into place carefully.

_"I will, just give me a minute!'_

Nobomi, the ringleader, a girl of about twelve, giggles at him.

_"Only one minute! Princess, tell him to come out and play!"_

Shuri laughs at him from her usual seat in his home, doing something on her beads that looks complicated.

"Your accent is atrocious, you know."

"We can't all be fluent in every language. I already speak English, Russian, French, Italian, and Spanish. Xhosa has different consonants."

"I know. Relax, I am just teasing." Shuri stands and gently touches his arm.

(He feels it like it was real, like he has two flesh arms instead of one flesh and one vibranium.)

"How is this one doing? Is it comfortable?"

"It's good." Bucky concentrates for a moment, and the flesh-toned nanites disappear to wherever they go, arm going black again. "This one responds better to my thoughts than the last one did, thank you."

"I'm glad." Shuri runs her hand down his arm, then pinches him.

Bucky jumps, and she giggles with glee.

(Like this, she reminds him of Becca -- smarter than him and full of joy.)

_"White wolf, it has been a minute! Cebisa said so, and she has a clock!"_

Bucky allows the nanites to cover him in fake skin once more, making his arm look more human again.

"I should go. I have work to do on the Dora armor, and T'Challa's new suit."

"He likes the suit he has," Bucky points out, and Shuri rolls her eyes at him.

"The two of you, I swear. Backwards seeds in a pod." She hugs him quickly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I will see you at dinner, yes? We're eating in T'Challa's quarters tonight."

"I'll be there," Bucky promises. When they part, he crosses his arms in front of his chest, waiting for her to do so before he lowers them again. _"Wakanda forever."_

He's learning.

Shuri beams. " _Wakanda forever._ Unless something comes up, I will see you at dinner."

_"White wolf, it has been more than a minute!"_ Nobomi calls.

Bucky gives it a beat, then two, before rushing out of his home and scooping two of them up into his arms amid shrieks of delighted laughter. Nobomi taps him on the shoulder and hops onto his back, arms around his neck and legs around his waist.

_"Can we braid your hair today, before you go to dinner?"_ Nobomi pulls at a lock of it. _"The king will like it!"_

_"We'll see."_

…

Bucky has gotten used to the clothing he wears in the village, but the robes Shuri sent him for dinner are much too fancy for his tastes. They fit like a glove, of course, tailored black tunic and deep purple pants exactly his size.

Cebisa is waiting outside of his hut when he exits, the stoic Dora breaking her usual blank face to smile at him.

_"Shuri has outdone herself. You look almost Wakandan."_

It's the best complement he could hope to get from one of the Dora Milaje, and he will take it.

_"Thank you."_ Bucky gestures to his head, to his elaborate braided bun. _"The children insisted on braiding my hair."_

_"I like it. Now, come. The king is expecting you."_

The ride to the palace is quick now that Bucky is used to the hover-bike, zipping over the country-side at Cebisa's heels. When they get into the city, his anxiety rises, but she takes them through back-alleys to avoid the most eyes.

Akhona is waiting for them when they park in the Dora's garage, and she almost smiles at him.

"You clean up well, Sergeant Barnes."

"Thank you. I had plenty of help."

They escort him to T'Challa's quarters, a large apartment in the north tower. The Queen Mother is already there when they arrive, and Bucky is careful to bow like Shuri taught him.

"Sergeant Barnes, it is good to see you." She smiles. "At ease, dear."

He stands, blushing. Ramonda cups his cheek with one perfectly-manicured hand.

"You seem to be doing better lately. Have you been enjoying your time here?"

"Yes, your majesty."

She waves that away. "Please, no majesty here. Queen Mother is fine."

"Yes, Queen Mother," Bucky says immediately, smiling. "I feel better by the day, between Shuri and Cebisa's guidance and the children's insistence that I join them in their games."

"Good. I am glad you are finding happiness here." She steps back and looks around the room. "Where is my son? He said he'd be here sooner."

"We are waiting for him and Okoye to return from a meeting with the Jabari," Nakia says. She joins their little cluster and crosses her arms at Bucky.

He does the same, delighting in her proud smile. She's been out of the country for the past few weeks, so she hasn't seen him with his new arm yet.

He didn't have enough arms to cross when she left.

"You look well, Sergeant Barnes. Wakanda has been good for you."

"Wakanda has been _kind_ to me," Bucky counters. "I cannot help but thrive. Shuri wouldn't allow otherwise."

Shuri comes in not moments after, always thrilling in making an entrance. She hugs her mother, Nakia, and Bucky in turn.

"You allowed them to braid your hair, and the new clothing looks quite nice, if I say so myself." Shuri grins. "You don't look nearly as ugly now, white man."

"Thank you, I think." Bucky can't help his soft, fond smile. "You look nice too."

She does, her braids wrapped in an elegant up-do and her outfit from earlier traded for a flowing purple dress.

"Wait, do we match? Did you do this on purpose?"

Shuri grins. "Absolutely. What is the point of having my own white man to dress if I cannot coordinate outfits?"

Everyone in the room rolls their eyes, but Bucky just laughs with her.

Yes, she's very much like Becca.

There's the sound of a spear hitting the ground, and the Dora snap to attention. The large doors at the entrance to the apartment swing open, revealing T'Challa and Okoye, the rest of the Dora at their heels. Everyone except for the Queen Mother drops into a bow. 

"At ease, at ease. There is no reason for this gesturing here." T'Challa hugs his mother and sister, crosses his arms at Nakia, and turns to Bucky. "Sergeant Barnes-- Bucky."

"Your majesty."

"You look well. Thank you for joining us for dinner."

Bucky dips a half-bow for the sake of it. _"It is my honor, my king."_

T'Challa looks delighted with his use of Xhosa, and a warmth fills Bucky's chest.

"Come, let us eat. I am starving."

Okoye winks at Bucky as she passes.

Dinner is a loud, exuberant affair. Bucky is content to sit between Shuri and Cebisa and watch them all interact, switching between English and Xhosa and a thousand other languages as they laugh and joke and _love_ over dinner.

"Nobomi tells me you have been teaching them American games," Okoye says during a lull in conversation.

"They are children's games," Bucky says with a shrug. "They seem to be universal, but the names change from country to country, generation to generation. I didn't even know if you had lava in this country, yet they all know how to play 'the floor is lava.'"

"It is good to see you play," Shuri says, passing him a basket of bread and snagging a chunk of yam from his plate. "You are too serious, white boy."

"He smiles more now," Cebisa informs her. "Especially when he's with the children."

"It is a good thing," T'Challa says. "They get to learn more about the world, and you get to enjoy yourself."

"The kids don't judge me by my past," Bucky says quietly. "They just judge me by how many of them I can carry at once."

"He's up to six," Cebisa says. "Seven, if the littlest one sits on his shoulders."

"Now this, I have to see," T'Challa says, blinding smile causing Bucky's chest to ache. "I must come out to your village sometime."

"That would be nice," Bucky mumbles, blushing.

(Being the only white person in a room makes his blush seem even brighter and more obvious. He wishes he could read them the way they read him.)

Shuri pokes him in the ribs and waggles her eyebrows. Bucky sticks his tongue out at her before he can even consider otherwise, brotherly instincts winning over decorum and decades of reprogramming. She shrieks in delighted laughter, and Bucky rolls his eyes. 

When he looks at T'Challa, he cannot pinpoint the emotion in his eyes.

…

Dinner ends with a massive dessert course, filled with fruit Bucky doesn't recognize but loves every bite of. The Queen Mother and her pair of Dora are the first to leave the room, followed by Nakia and Shuri, with Okoye at their heels.

Okoye winks at him again, whispering, "Do not let him freeze."

Bucky has no idea what in Bast's name that means.

"Sergeant Barnes, would you like to stay for coffee? I had some American-style ordered for you." T'Challa looks hopeful, and Bucky can't help but agree. "Good."

T'Challa crosses his arms at the remaining Dora, and they do so in return, taking their spears and leaving his quarters. Bucky knows that at least four of them will stay close, just in case, and Cebisa will be waiting to take him home.

T'Challa leads Bucky from the large main living space to the much smaller study, a cozy room filled with books from every nation on earth and T'Challa's sand table. Once they are settled in chairs by the wall of windows, T'Challa pours them both a cup of coffee.

"Sergeant Barnes-"

"Bucky."

T'Challa's smile softens, and Bucky's heart squeezes.

"Bucky, yes. Of course." T'Challa sips his coffee. "You seem to be doing well. Shuri has given me occasional reports, but there's nothing like seeing for myself."

"I am doing better," Bucky agrees. "I've gotten used to the new arm, despite near-constant updates from Shuri, and the people of the village seem to have accepted me. It helps that I've been learning Xhosa."

"Good, I'm glad. As for the updates, you get used to it." T'Challa gestures to his necklace. "She loves to improve upon things that already work."

"I'm not going to argue with her," Bucky says with a fond smile. "She's the one who removed Hydra's protocols from my brain and their hardware from my body."

"I find it best not to argue with her as well," T'Challa says. He goes quiet for a long moment. "You are happy here? In Wakanda?"

"I am," Bucky says, and finds he's telling the truth. "I'm happy with the people in my village, with the kids, with Shuri and Cebisa and Akhona and-- and you. When I get a chance to spend time with you, I mean."

Bucky knows it's a foolish thought. Even with all of Shuri's reassurances that being bisexual is completely fine in Wakanda, in the new millennium he's found himself in, it doesn't matter. T'Challa must find a queen, and they will create beautiful  Wakandan heirs, and Bucky will end up back in the world fighting evil eventually.

"With me."  T'Challa stares at him, starts to speak, and stares at his cup. "Shuri says your last scan revealed complete deprogramming. You're healed, at least physically."

"That's what she told me, yes." Bucky isn't sure where this line of thought is going. "I've been working with the mind healers to heal what she cannot."

"Do you... will you stay? Now that you are not a threat to your Captain?" 

It's a question Bucky has asked himself a thousand times since Shuri gave him the all-clear.

"I'm not ready to leave," he says softly, running his new fingertips around the rim of his mug. "I like Wakanda. It's easy to just be 'Shuri's pet white boy' instead of everything that comes with my past on the outside." Bucky finally looks up at T'Challa again. "I'd like to stay for a while longer. If you allow it, of course."

"You are always welcome," T'Challa says immediately. "But... you are sure? I know your Captain aches to have you home."

"This is my home," Bucky says without thinking. "My Captain, as you call him, may want me back in New York, but I'm happy here, with my king."

"Move in to the palace." T'Challa blurts it out, and if it was anyone but the King of Wakanda, Bucky would say he sounds desperate. "Stay here, safe and close. I know you love the village, but there's plenty of room in the rest of the palace, or-"

"Or?"

If T'Challa was any lighter, Bucky thinks he would be blushing.

"There's room here, with me." T'Challa nods toward the study door. "I have spare rooms here in my quarters. You could have your pick of them."

"Your majesty, are you asking me to move in with you?" Bucky asks, smile flickering at the corners of his mouth.

T'Challa freezes.

Bucky gives him a moment, two, before he kicks his ankle.

"Your majesty?"

T'Challa blinks.

"T'Challa!"

"Yes!" T'Challa startles, rambling a mile a minute. "Right, yes, I mean... only if you... Not with me per se but in my apartments, but that's not... I don't mean to... I understand if-"

Bucky grabs his shoulders and shakes him gently, just enough to halt his rambling spiral.

(When did they get comfortable enough that the King of Wakanda doesn't question Bucky's hands on him?)

"I'd love to move to the palace," he says firmly. "I want to keep my hut in the village, but a room here with you would be nice."

"Of course." T'Challa clears his throat. "Anything you want."

"Anything?" Bucky raises his eyebrows at that, hands still firmly on the king's shoulders.

Something like hope flickers in T'Challa's eyes.

"Anything."

Bucky drops his hands, stifling a smile when he sees T'Challa's wounded look.

_"Then I want dinner with you tomorrow as well, just the two of us."_

T'Challa's smile spreads slowly into an all-encompassing grin.

"I believe that can be arranged."


End file.
